Arm for recording and reproducing apparatus



June 30, 1953 u. L DI GHlLlNl Erm. ,A 2,6435886 ARM FGR RECORDING AND REPRODUCING. PPARATUS Filed sept. 25. 1948 lll Il /IlIllIlIIlll/II l will l w 2 I if Munn" IIl i WTTORNEYS.

Patented June 30, 1953 ARMron RECORDING ANDk REPRODUCING p APPARATUS Ulrich L. di Ghilini, deceased, late of Beverly Hills, Calif., by AlexanderE. di Ghilini and Leo E. di Ghilini, administrators, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Application September 25, v1948, Serial No. 51,241

1 claim. (c1. 274-28) This invention relates to an apparatus for recording and reproducing sound on or from a disc record, `and refers particularly to an arm for sound recording and reproducing apparatus also under careful control. It is also desirable that means be provided for moving such arm to three different positions, one being a disengaged position where the stylus is entirely lifted"- from the blank or record to allow shifting of the 2 stylus with respect thereto, the second being a reproduction or playback position, and the third being a recording position.

It is the general object of the present inven- Which. arm serves both in recording operations tion to provide an improved form of arm for a for properly supporting the recording stylus and, sound recording and playback apparatus, toin reproducing operations, for properly holding gether with associated means for positioning the'reproducing head and stylus. This applica said arm in the three intended positions, which tion `is a continuation in part of the co-pending apparatus also includes novel means for accu-- appuoauon serial No. 19,106, sied April 5, 1948, l" rarely looking the head rigid with the erm in now Patent No. 2,537,214, issued January 9, predetermined position for recording operations, 1951. together' with means for properly controllably In sound recording on a discv record, the arm loading the stylus and also with means for rewhich holds the recording head is mechanically leasing the head somewhat from the recording moved radially with respect to the disc record l arm to allow the necessary freedom between the while the recording head is rigidly united with y arm and the head, while. controllably applying the arm so that its position on the recording to the stylus the lesser weight required for playblank is positively xed by the position of the back operations.` arm supporting the stylus. Moreover, the The sound recording and playback arm and amount 0f Weight or preSSure applied from the 20 associated mechanism of the presentk invention, arm t0 the Stylus and hence to the recording together with certain further objects and advan` blank must be accurately controlled, and should tages of the invention, will be understood from generally be considerably in excess of the weight the following description of the preferred form desire-ble in reproducing operations, particularly of the invention as illustrated in the accompanywhere in the recording operation a large num- 2,51 ing drawing, in which: ber of lines or recording grooves per radial inch Figure 1 is a plan View partially in section. of record are recorded, careful control Amust be Figure 2 isa section on the line 2,-2 of Figmaintained of the position of the stylus, which u re 1, v must be firmly locked to the arm supporting the Figure 3 is a perspective View of the head. same. In reproducing operations, however, at Figure Llis a fragmentary plan view partially least a limited amount of play must exist be-` in section showing a modiiied construction of tween the arm supporting the head and the the channel walls andthe head. head, so that the position of the stylus on the Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Eigl record is determined by the groove on the record. ure 4r. n Furthermore, a considerably lighter pressure S; vFigure 6 is a fragmentary side view of the arm must be employed` in reproducing operations of Figure 1, and than in recording operations. When it is desired Figure 7 is a section on the line '1 -1 of Figl to provide in one device both recording and reure 2.

production, unless two separate arms are pro- Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates a fragvided, it is required, therefore, that there beproment of a carriage upon which the apparatus of vided an arm for holding the recording and playthe present invention may be mounted. In the back head to which is attached the stylus, Ywhich drawing there is illustrated fragmentarily a cararm is provided with means adjustable so that riage of the type described and claimed in the in recording operations ,the head is rigid with aforesaid co-pending application, which is there the -arm and loaded with a predetermined weight more fully illustrated, which is intended to be and likewise adjustable to a Second position for, moved lradially with respect to either a record reproduction, in which a certain amount of play or blank in recording or playback operations.. is permitted between the head and the arm and, Since1 however, the head and mechanism of the moreover, in which the weight imposed on the present invention is not dependent upon any stylus is less than that utilized in recording but particular type .of carriage forr operating the same, the. part 2 is to be considered as merely a diagrammatic illustration of a fragment of any usual or preferred type of carriage for that purpose.

The arm e of the present invention includes a substantially channel-shaped member 4, which is pivotally mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by means of set screws 5 secured to a block B which may be a part of the carriage 2, but is indicated as non-rotatably fixed thereto by dowels 'I and a latch 8. The channelshaped member 4 is indicated as having an eX- tension 9, which may be engaged by operating the mechanism for pivoting this member to its Various operating positions; for example, Aas illustrated, there is provided a cam I mounted on a shaft II, actuated by a hand lever mounted on the shaft Il, and which also actuates a cam I2, which operates a rod I3 for controlling the position of a friction wheel (not shown).

The specic means, however, by which the head y is moved to its different positions may vary.

The one end of the channel member 4 is con- U nected by an adjusting nut I4 with a spring I5, the other end of which is attached to an extension I6 from the carriage 2, and serves as a means by which an adjustment may be made of the weight imposed, as hereafter described, on the stylus.

On the opposite end of the channel member 4 fromthe spring I the member is enlarged as indicated at I'I, and holds a weight I3 for'weighting the left side of the member. Within this enlargement I'I there is mounted a recording and reproducing head I9, which may be any usual or preferred type, such as either a crystal or magnetic recording and playback head, all enclosed within a case the upright side walls 29 of which should have smooth vertical surfaces which make a bearing contact with the smooth vertical faces 2i on the inner sides of the section I l' of the channel member 4. These bearing faces thus permit a movement of the head I9 which is confined substantially to a vertical direction; a slight play, however, is permitted horizontally, amounting to a few thousandths of an inch. The head I9 is supported within the channel member 4 by being pivoted on a rod 22 supported by the member 4, a slight play being permitted between the head I9 and the rod 22, so that in playback position a sufficient movement of the head I9 relative to the member 4 is permissible so that Ait may accommodate itself to follow a recorded groove on a record in playback operations. This pickup head I9 is indicated as carrying a needle or stylus 23, for use in either recording or playback operations, the stylus being held in position by a setscrew 24. The channel member 4 has an endwall 25, provided with a vertical slot 26 to accommodate movement of the setscrew 24 which also operates as a stop to limit the downward movement of the head when the arm is lifted, There is also preferably provided a small slot 2I, extending from the bottom of the front end of the head I9 into which is received a pin 28 carried by the upright front wall 25 of the channel member 4. This slot, in its engagement with the pin 28, serves to center the head properly with respect to the arm 4 when in the position indicated in Figure 2, for a purpose set forth hereinafter.

From the top of the section II there is a sharp-pointed setscrew 29 which extends through a suitable opening 39 in the weight I8. The point of this setscrew 29 is adapted, when the head I9 is pivoted upwardly, to engage a recess SI in the top of the head and provide means for accurately aligning the head I9 with the channel member 4 when recording. There may also be provided av coil spring 32, which operates principally merely as a cushioning or steadying device without exerting appreciable pressure when the channel member 4 is dropped so'as to bring the apparatus into playback or recording position.

In the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, the channel member 4 can be Y pivoted to three positions. In one position (Figure 2) the arm is elevated sufciently above the blank or record so that the stylus 23 is released from contact therewith and the carriage moved. In the second position the arm is lowered sufficiently to engage the stylus 23 with a record for playback. The engagement of the pin 28 with the slot 21 at this time assures that the stylus 23 will be properly aligned with the arm 4 so that thek initial contact of the stylus 23 with a record groove will be such that the stylus will descend into a groove rather than engage the top of a land or ridge. In actual operation, after initial engagement of the stylus 23 with the record groove for playback, the head I9 will be swung upwardly about the rod 22 to a position in which the slot 21 is clear of the pin 28. In this position the head I9 lies intermediate the position indicated in Figure 2 and in its uppermost position of movement. Lying in this intermediate position, the head I9 has no weight imposed on the same from the channel member 4, and thus the sole Weight on the stylus 23 is determined by the design of the head itself, the usual heads of this type being physically designed by the manufacturer for operation at the correct load when pivoted at their end in the manner indicated for playback.

The manner of mounting the head I9 and the arm 3 allows a horizontal position of the head I9 to be substantially controlled by the movement of the channel member 4'which, it is to be understood, in practice is moved in accordanceV A slight with the movement of the carriage. horizontal movement, however, is permissible, due to a clearance in the matter of a few thousandths of an inch between 'the bearing faces 20 and the faces of the channel 2| of member 4, and a similar clearance between the head I9 and the rod 22. In other words, it is selfevident that the head I9, in addition to being able to rotate in a substantially vertical plane about the rod 22, is able to move bodily horizontally a very slight amount on the rod 22 within the close confines of the adjacent side walls of the stylus arm 3. This will allow the stylus 23 to follow a record groove for playback.

In recording operations the channel member is further lowered so as to now bring the point` of the setscrew 29 into register with the opening SI in the head I9, whichhas the effect of aligning and locking the head to the'channel member 4 and removing the limited freedom provided for the head in the playback operations. The uncounterbalanced operation of the Weight lof the `channel member 4, and the added weight I8, are now imposed on the stylus 23 for the added weight required in recording operations.

The amount of this added weight is under control of the adjusting screw I4, which is connected with the partially counterbalanced spring I5.

While in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, the recording head I9 has been indicated as having special bearing surf-aces 20 of limited surface for guiding its movement within the channel member 4, these bearing faces of limited area may be provided by the channel member 4. Such a construction is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, where 5 a bearing surface such as indicated at 33 is provided.

While the particular form of the invention hereindescribed is well adapted to carry out the objects of the invention, it is to 'be understood that various changes and modications may be made, and this invention is of the scope set forth in the appended claims.

It is claimed:

In a sound reproducing and recording apparatus, an arm having a pair of spaced apart upright side walls connected at one end by an upright end wall; means supporting said arm and limiting pivotal movement thereof to rotation about a horizontal axis; a recording and reproducing head having one end portion thereof disposed adjacent said end wall and being positioned between said side walls; means pivotally connecting said head directly to said side walls for free rotary movement relative thereto about a horizontal yaxis and for very slight horizontal movement relative to said arm limited by said side Walls of said arm, there being" a clearance of only a few thousandths of an inch between said head and said side walls to permit said slight h'orizontal movement of said head relative to said arm, said head having a vertical slot formed therein in the end adjacent said upright end Wall, said slot being open at its lower end only; and a pin carried by said end wall, said pin being engageable with said slot through its lower open end for locating said head in predetermined transverse relation to said arm to insure a de- `sired lalignment of a stylus carried by said head with said arm so that the stylus upon initial engagement with a record for playback will engage with a groove rather than a land.

ALEXANDER E. DI GHILINI,

LEO E. DI GHILINI,

Administrators of the estate of Ulrich L.

di Ghilini, deceased.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

